Mr. Bhandari
Mr. Bhandari is the father of Sav and Alli Bhandari, and the husband of Mrs. Bhandari. Mr. Bhandari is a devout Muslim. He has been shown in previous seasons to be very strict and overprotective of his kids; he had always pressured them to do things that they didn't want to do: such as what jobs they should have when they got older, and even an arranged marriage. He was only hard on his kids because he wanted what was best for them. It was not until Alli ran away from home that he was able to see clearly and change his ways. He is now a more understanding father and is supportive of the decisions his children make. Mr. Bhandari is portrayed by Marvin L. Ishmael. Character History Season 8 Mr. Bhandari first appears in With or Without You, where he shows up at Degrassi with Alli to let Sav know that he is to look after his sister on the camping trip. In Causing a Commotion, Mr. Bhandari agrees to let Sav invite Anya over for dinner. That night, he along with Mrs. Bhandari make it known that while Sav and Anya may be dating right now, their relationship can not last, because Sav must marry within his own culture. In Heat Of The Moment, Mr. Bhandari is seen with Alli, talking to Mr. Simpson, who is filling in for Principal Sheppard at the time, discussing the cyberbullying that Alli has been aiming toward Holly J. In Up Where We Belong, he has a conversation with Sav about what he wants for his future. Sav does not agree with these plans. Season 9 In Why Can't This Be Love (1), he is seen at the Bhandari house when Farrah Hassan, Sav's intended future wife, arrives with her family. Season 10 In I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (1), he forbids Sav to go to the Dead Hand concert for which he won tickets, due to it being held late on a school night. He later makes a deal with Sav after allowing him to use his car in order to raffle off the tickets: He can go to the concert if the car makes it back in one piece. However, he tells Sav that the concert is out of the question after finding out about the damage inflicted upon his car at the "Hands On A Hard Body" ticket contest. In I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself (2), he scolds Sav for tricking him and Mrs. Bhandari into going away so that he can sneak off to the concert, even after he had told him no. In Don't Let Me Get Me (2), he and Mrs. Bhandari discover all of Alli's secrets after Mr. Simpson shows them her file. He can barely look at Alli, but makes it known that he could never stop loving her. In Jesus, Etc. (1), He and his wife are once again upset with Alli, as they are led to think that she was smoking at school (although It was her "friend" Malika who blamed it on her.) At the end of the episode he is seen looking for Alli as she ran away after an argument with Sav. In Jesus, Etc. (2), Mrs. Bhandari is getting increasingly worried so when Sav comes home he asks him to hack into Alli’s computer and try to find some clues as to where she’s gone. Sav successfully hacks into Alli's account and discovers a journal entry that Alli wrote. As it turns out, Alli is more upset than anyone in the family realized and wrote that she thinks they’d be better off without her. Sav and Mr. Bhandari try driving around the city in hopes of finding Alli. Mr. Bhandari tells Sav that Alli will be in big trouble when she gets home but Sav points out that her getting in trouble and not being listened to is the reason she ran away, though Mr. Bhandari refuses to listen to him. Alli’s been missing long enough that the police are now involved. The police officer on the case comes by the house. She has surveillance footage from a coffee shop near Alli’s new school. The tape shows Alli getting in a car with someone, but no one can make out the license plate or who is behind the wheel. In Hide and Seek (1), the Bhandaris are getting more and more worried about Alli. Sav tells Holly J. that they have surveillance of Alli getting into a car and that they’re making a plan with the police that night. Sav is upset that the police can’t do anything to find Alli. He tells Mr. Bhandari that he talked to all of Alli’s friends and none of them have seen her. In Hide and Seek (2), Alli returns home and the family have a talk. They all realize that they don't talk to each other or open up anymore and decide it's time for a clean slate. They decide to start seeing a therapist and take a group photo together. In Chasing Pavements (1), he re-enrolls Alli back at Degrassi. Alli is determined to turn over a new leaf, and Mr. Bhandari states that they are working on being more understanding as a family. Season 11 In Mr. Brightside (1), Alli invites Dave over, after prepping him with things that will make her family like him. Dave and the Bhandaris bond over Dave's (false) love of cricket. Dave is unhappy and leaves. In Mr. Brightside (2), Alli tells her parents that Dave is her boyfriend, and they are okay with him coming over again. Dave dresses and behaves normally, and they all play cards together. Dave getting along so well with her family that means they can spend a lot of time together over the summer. Season 12 In Say It Ain't So (1), he is ecstatic when he hears that Alli got a scholarship to MIT to research a cure to breast cancer. He calls his brother to boast to him about his daughter. In Say It Ain't So (2), he helps arrange the party for Alli's acceptance, and is thrilled when she reveals that she plans on attending MIT at the end of the year. In' I Want It That Way (1)', he is seen with his wife telling Alli that they got her a surprise, which was a car. In I Want It That Way (2), Mr. Bhandari is surprised that Alli is still working on her homework and not going to the Jay-Z concert. He reminds her that she is the only one insured to drive her car, and tells her that he and her mother are proud of her. On the way to the concert, Alli begins falling asleep at the wheel and crashes her car. Mr. Bhandari comes and picks her up from the police. Alli tells father that she was exhausted, but she wanted to have fun for once, and that she was taking pills to stay awake. She tells him that she isn't ready to fast track yet and might want to do her last year of high school. Mr. Bhandai says that they'll talk about it later, and he hugs her. Season 13 In The World I Know, Mr. and Mrs. Bhandari throw Alli a party, but when Alli comes in after being beat by Leo, they are concerned about what happened to her. Alli claims she was mugged, and Mr. Bhandari says they need to call the police to find the person who did this to her. In Better Man, he and Mrs. Bhandari are sitting with Alli as she makes her statement to the police. Mr. Bhandari wants to act quickly to catch the mugger. Later, Alli tells her family that she was not mugged and Leo was the one who hurt her. Mrs. Bhandari asks how this could happen, but Alli confesses that she thought she could fix him. She asks her mother for a hug, and Alli tells her that she is embarrassed, to which Mrs. Bhandari reassures her that this is not her fault. Mr. Bhandari tells Alli that even though they don't understand, they still love her. In Everything Is Everything, Mr. Bhandari comes to the science fair to see Alli's project. Alli introduces Dallas to Mr. Bhandari, and he remembers Dallas as the guy who was in the car that Alli crashed when she was taking pills. Alli tells her father that she wouldn't have been able to get her project done without Dallas because of her injury, and Mr. Bhandari says that he supposes that he should be grateful for Dallas's help. He and Alli go to look at other projects before she presents. Mr. Bhandari and Connor watch as Alli tries to present, but Dallas's comments to the judge causes them to leave. Mr. Bhandari steps aside when Dallas tries to explain his reasoning to Alli. Later, Mr. Bhandari tells Dallas a story about how he was racially profiled at an airport, and tells Dallas that the world can be very unfair. Dallas says that he won't ever turn a blind eye to racism, and Mr. Bhandari tells him the question isn't whether to fight or not, but how to fight. Later, after Alli wins, he pulls Alli away from Dallas before they can kiss. Appearances Trivia *He likes to play cricket. *He and his wife enjoy Bollywood movies, as does former Degrassi student Marco Del Rossi. *He is a fan of poker, as shown in Mr. Brightside (2). *His first name was never revealed. Category:Degrassi: The Next Generation Category:Degrassi: TNG characters Category:Degrassi: TNG adults Category:Male Characters Category:Degrassi Category:Degrassi Characters Category:Degrassi Adults Category:Parents Category:Season 8 Category:Season 9 Category:Season 10 Category:Season 11 Category:Season 12 Category:Season 13